Tag Heuer Carrera White Mother of Pearl Dial Automiatic Ladies Watch WAR2452.BD0772

San Diego, Nov 17, 2011 - TAG Heuer and Oracle Racing held a joint press conference today to announce a partnership that will see the Oracle Racing crew outfitted with TAG Heuer Watches and Eyewear during the 34th America's Cup, the world's most important sailing events.

The press conference coincided with the America's Cup World Series preparatory regatta in San Diego. Sixty international journalists attended the event, along with TAG Heuer President and CEO Jean-Christophe Babin, Oracle Racing CEO and afterguard Sir Russell Coutts and the team's skipper and helmsman Jimmy Spithill. At the 33rd America's Cup Match in Valencia, Spain in February, 2010, Coutts and Spithill led their Oracle Racing team to a convincing 2-0 victory over the Swiss defender, Alinghi — thus returning the oldest trophy in international sports back to the United States for the first time in 18 years.

"We're proud to be back on board with Oracle Racing," said Jean-Christophe Babin. TAG Heuer partnered with the Oracle Racing team in their 2003 bid to win the America's Cup.

"Oracle is the best team in sailing," said Babin. "It is the yachting equivalent of our motor racing partners Vodafone McLaren Mercedes in Formula One and Audi Sport for the World Endurance Championship and Le Mans 24 Hours. Joining the TAG Heuer prestigious team of ambassadors, Jimmy Spithill and Russell Coutts are cut from the same cloth as our driving legends Alain Prost, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Sebastien Ogier. We all share the same values: a quest for perfection, a passion for innovation, avant-garde technology and design, and a love for speed and performance."

"Having such a prestigious world-renowned brand, famous for its involvement with top-level sporting events and personalities, join our team is not just great news for Oracle Racing but for the America's Cup as well," said Coutts.

"Master Of Seas": TAG Heuer's commitment to waterspouts runs deep

From its first water-resistant patent in 1895 to the newest line of Aquaracers.

TAG Heuer's competitive sailing launches include the Yacht Timer stopwatch (1930), the Solunar (1949), a tide-reading watch with a lunar dial; the Seafarer (1950), the world's first chronographs with tide and regatta indicators; the Navia (1955), a boat dashboard clock; the Aquastar Regatta (1965); and the automatic Skipper sailing chronograph (1972).

In 1980 the brand launched the 1000, a series of regatta and diving watches. This was followed in 1982 by the 2000 Collection, a series of professional diving watches that is the predecessor of today's famous Aquaracer line. In the 80's, it co-launched the Spirotechnique line with Jacques-Yves Cousteau's diving company. The Aquaracer, however, launched in 2002, is the line that established the brand's prowess on and in the water. Among the many standout editions in the Aquaracer series is the revolutionary Aquaracer Calibre S (2005), the first analog regatta chronograph to display both time and chronograph using central hour, minute and second hands, and the Aquaracer 500M Calibre 5 (2009), a diving chronograph with automatic helium valve that is water resistant to 500 meters.

On the water, TAG Heuer's record is unrivalled. In 1967, it was the Official Timekeeper of Intrepid, the America's Cup winner. In 1983, it launched the Formule TAG, one of the first kevlar and carbon fiber catamarans. Helmed by sailing legend Mike Birch, it set the world record for the longest distance covered in 24 hours, logging up 524 miles during one lap of the Quebec - Saint-Malo race in 1984. In 1993, "Le TAG Heuer", the world's biggest monohull, was skippered by the French mariner Tituan Lamazou during the Jules Verne Trophy. In 1995, the TAG Heuer Challenge (NZL59) skippered by Chris Dickson, reached the Vuitton Cup semifinals. In 2002, TAG Heuer and Oracle BMW Racing Team were narrowly outpaced by Alinghi in the 31st America's Cup. In 2005, the brand hosted the "Trophee TAG Heuer Aquaracer" in St-Tropez, France, and became official chronograph, timekeeper and sunglasses partner of the China Team Challenge, the first Chinese team to vie for a challenger spot in the America's Cup.

America's Cup: The most prestigious events in international sailing

TAG Heuer will be present at all stages of Oracle Racing's defense of the 34th America's Cup, starting with the remaining matches in the new America's Cup World Series, which will be run in various world venues in 2012, and 2013. TAG Heuer will assist with the Louis Vuitton Cup, the America's Cup challenger selection series, and, finally, the America's Cup Match, which will see Oracle Racing pitted against a single challenger. Both the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America's Cup Match final will be held in San Francisco in 2013.

TAG Heuer & Team USA

At the San Diego press conference, Russell Coutts, Jimmy Spithill and Jean-Christopher Babin were wearing a special Team USA edition of the Aquaracer 500M Chronograph. The first chronograph in the Aquaracer 500M line, it has the same professional safety features, wide-diameter case (44mm) and stylish strap in black rubber, but its black dial is engraved with the Team USA shield. Its robust, functional design and features address very specific demands: great visibility, extreme reliance and easy handling when sailing. Power and strength for ultimate performance, the Aquaracer 500M Chronograph is a perfect match for Russell and Jimmy — it has the same DNA.

The other members of the Oracle Racing team wore Aquaracer models with a special digital countdown function and TAG Heuer Eyewear from the Racer Collection. The Racer is ideal for high seas — its curved, wrap-around shape enhances comfort and ergonomics, and the frame and temples in very light composite material provide optimum lightness. The Oracle Racing Racer edition is equipped with Watersports lenses, a blue polarized, hydrophobic and oleophobic lens with 5 layers of anti-reflection, for utmost precision and protection.

America's Cup: A test of prowess for TAG Heuer & Oracle Racing

"This is going to be a great adventure, both in human and technological terms," said TAG Heuer's President and CEO Jean-Christophe Babin. "Oracle Racing and TAG Heuer are two of most historic brands in this prestigious event, which represents the pinnacle of ocean-going performance. Our designers and engineers are working together to make this the best-equipped crew ever. And we're setting our sights high: we want to break every record ever set, both for man and machine."